NAVRATILOVA CAPTURES AUSTRALIAN TOURNEY

Martina Navratilova and Aaron Krickstein each completed succesful preparations for next week's Australian Open by winning championships Sunday in the $350,000 New South Wales Open tennis tournament.

Navratilova, ranked second in the world, clinched her fourth NSW Open title when she overpowered Swedish rival Catarina Linqvist 6-2, 6-4.Krickstein, ranked 14th, beat Andrei Cherkasov of the Soviet Union 6-4, 6-2.

Navratilova, playing in her first tournament since a six-week layoff, took just 58 minutes to wrap up the match, despite a spirited fightback by Lindqvist during the second set.

Krickstein, third-seeded in the event, needed only 65 minutes to wrap up his first Grand Prix title victory since taking the Tel Aviv tournament in 1984. The New South Wales Open was Krickstein's first Grand Prix tournament in Australia and he collected $23,000.

Navratilova, top seed for the women's tournament, showed some deft touches, particulary in close to the net, to win $40,000. It was her fourth NSW Open victory, but the first time she has competed in the event since she last won it in 1985.